Independent daily suspended indefinitely in Somaliland

Nairobi, June 12, 2013--The acting attorney general in the semi-autonomous republic of Somaliland should withdraw his
request to suspend the independent daily Hubaal, the Committee to
Protect Journalists said today. A court ruled on Tuesday that the paper had
been indefinitely suspended at the request of Aden Ahmed Mouse, according to
news reports.

"Somaliland
authorities often ignore their own legal system to censor the press, whether it
is arbitrary detentions of journalists or, in this case, an arbitrary
suspension order," said CPJ East Africa Consultant Tom Rhodes. "If the
authorities are serious about their desire for self-determination, then a
functional justice system must be in place. The government must stop misusing
its authority to censor critical news coverage. Aden Ahmed Mouse should withdraw his request for the
suspension and allow Hubaal to resume
publishing."

The regional court
in the capital, Hargeisa, on Tuesdaybanned all Somali printing agencies
and distributors from printing and circulating Hubaal, according to news
reports. Hubaal's staff members were not notified of the suspension,
and learned of the decision from an announcement on the state Radio Hargeisa, Hubaal Editor Hassan Hussein told CPJ.
Security agents and police prevented Hubaal journalists from entering
the station's office today, citing the court order, Hassan said.

The court said that
the paper had been suspended at the request of Aden, the acting attorney
general, reports said.
The reports did not offer further details. The attorney general's office has
not released a statement about the suspension. CPJ's calls to the attorney
general's office were not immediately returned.

Executives of the Hubaal News Network, which publishes Hubaal
and the English-language daily The Independent, sought an explanation
from the court and attorney general's office, but were denied, Hassan told CPJ.

The newspaper will
appeal the decision to a higher court, Hassan said.

Journalists at Hubaal
said they suspected the suspension was a result of their ongoing coverage of a
construction dispute
between Egypt and Ethiopia. Both countries are vying for political support from
Somaliland, a close ally and strategic
trading partner to landlocked Ethiopia, local journalists said. The sources
said they suspected authorities feared any media coverage that could tarnish
their relationship with Ethiopia.

Hubaal has also published some hard-hitting anti-corruption articles in the
past, local journalists told CPJ. The coverage includes a number of articles that
expose corruption within Somaliland's banking system.

Journalists are
often harassed,
arbitrarily detained,
or attacked in Somaliland, according to CPJ research. In April, two assailants raided
the Hubaal offices and shot at theowner and manager, Mohamed Ahmed, injuring his arm and hand,
according to news reports. No charges have been brought to date.